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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 14

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 16 Chapter 14 Work Requirements

14.4.5 WHEN TO APPLY A SNAP PENALTY FOR VOLUNTARY QUIT Once a determination is made that the client voluntarily quit a job of at least 30 hours per week and did not have good cause for quitting, he may be subject to a SNAP penalty as described below. 14.4.5.A Applicants When the Worker determines that an applicant has voluntarily quit a job 60 days prior to application without good cause, his period of ineligibility is the month of application and two calendar months following the month of application or until he reports a change which makes him exempt from the SNAP work requirement. This three-month period of ineligibility is not counted as a penalty for the applicant. Eligibility for the individual is reestablished when an exemption is established or at the end of the three-month period of ineligibility. 14.4.5.B Clients When the Worker discovers from the client that they have voluntarily quit employment, he must verify if it was with or without good cause to determine if the client is subject to a SNAP penalty. If sufficient information exists to determine that the client had good cause, the Worker records this information in case comments and on the appropriate eligibility system screen. If the Worker verifies that the client voluntarily quit without good cause and is not exempt from the work requirements, a penalty is applied. If sufficient information is not available to determine that the client had good cause, the Worker must record the available information in case comments and explore good cause at the next redetermination, even when it appears the client does not have good cause. The client is not required to report that he quit a job and/or that he had good cause for quitting during the certification period. SNAP Penalty Example 1: Mr. Begonia client calls to report that he quit his full- time job because he has not been paid in over a month. The Worker acts on the change in income, grants the client good cause for the voluntary quit, and